Anamas Mutare
by Logical Disorder
Summary: Start of a new story set in the HP world that follows the adventures of original characters, while remaining true to the events of the actual series. Written in collaboration with two other people. Takes place during Chamber of Secrets.
1. Peculiar Frogs

Chapter One: Peculiar Frogs

The thin, eleven year old girl stood outside the train car. It was the only empty one she could find, and she was entirely too nervous to walk into a car that already had people in it. They had friends already. What if they didn't like her? What if they laughed at her? Shuddering at the thought, she tugged on the handle of the door. Her black hair fell a little below her small shoulders, and her olive-like skin, which gave away her Indian heritage, shone with a slight sheen of sweat.

Even as she moved to open the door, the girl noticed the approach of someone else. Keeping her eyes averted, she prayed silently that the person would move on. However, her mute pleas went unanswered as the footsteps stopped in front of her. Almost cringing, she raised her gaze and found a boy standing there. He looked to be about her age, though taller than most at several inches over five feet. Her eyes continued climbing and she tilted her head back to look at him fully. His dark hair was cut short, and looked wetted down.

As she watched tentatively, the boy looked up from his careful examination of the shiny brooch on his robes to regard her quizzically. A group of chattering older boys went past then, and the girl nervously watched them pass until they had gone. At this, the boy looked over his shoulder at the departing group, then back to the girl. Clearing his throat, he spoke finally. "Errr… hi."

Jumping a bit and letting out a squeak of surprise, as she had forgotten the boy was standing right there, the girl focused on him again. Her mouth worked a couple of times before she remembered to speak. "Oh! Ummm… Hi." She looked at the door again, to avoid eye contact with this stranger. The boy followed her line of sight in an attempt to discover what was so fascinating.

From behind both of them came an elegant yet masculine voice. "My dear, I am quite certain that despite numerous attempts to curse the various pieces of this charmingly antiquated, yet amusingly proper bit of transportation, mostly from older students who wish to startle those younger like yourselves, the door there shall not actually bite you."

The girl jumped and spun around, almost falling over in her hurry to see who was behind them. Meanwhile, the boy simply opened the door and stepped inside the cabin, looking back as he did so. Both of them beheld a most peculiar sight. A small man, no more than four feet tall, and almost as wide, stood there. He was completely bald, wore oversized sunglasses, and a suit that was too large for him in the shirt and jacket while being too small in the pants. His age was impossible to tell, and he could have been either thirty or ninety, or anywhere in between.

Nervously, the girl peered at him and spoke in a voice so quiet it might have been a whisper. "Umm… hello. I'm sorry, am I in your way?"

The man appeared to consider this for a moment, tapping his finger against his chin thoughtfully. "Well, one would suppose that that would depend on your actual definition of the term. To test the hypothesis, why don't you enter the car, and then we shall see if you were indeed 'in the way'?"

Blinking, the girl looked over her shoulder at the door. "Um, okay." She slowly stepped into the cabin and took a seat across from where the boy had set himself down. Looking around, she glanced back to see the man enter the cabin. He moved surprisingly gracefully for his stature.

Once he was inside, the man gazed around the small compartment before his eyes settled on each of them in turn. "I would assume through your behavior as well as appearance that you are both first years then?"

Biting her lip, the girl nodded but remained silent as the boy looked away from the window to answer. "Yeah."

"Wonderful!" The man's excited voice startled both of them, and the girl jumped almost off of the bench, letting out another squeak of surprise. At this, the man regarded her for a moment. "Excitable, aren't you young one?"

Now the girl spoke even more quietly than before. "I… I guess so." She looked down, as though seeking confirmation of her answer in the floor.

With a gentle nod in her direction, the man spoke. "You see, we're all a bit alike. This is my first year as well." He smiled broadly as both children looked back at him doubtfully. "Ah, but not as a student, oh no."

Seeming to understand finally, the girl asked, "Are you a teacher then?" Her voice grew a bit louder as she became slightly more comfortable.

The man appeared to be indignant in his response. "I am no such thing." He seemed to puff up proudly as he announced, "I… am a chef." At their questioning looks, he continued. "Indeed, but not just any chef. I am a Master Chef."

With a quick glance at the girl, who simply sat nervously, the boy responded. "That's… great, sir."

To this, the man shook his head almost indignantly. "The only time I have ever been a 'sir' is when I was about to be fired or arrested. Kindly do not use that term."

The girl giggled for a short moment before her eyes widened. "Wait… arrested?" She seemed to shrink back in her seat away from the man, who didn't appear to notice.

"My name, if it pleases you, or even if it doesn't quite frankly, because it's my name and if you do not like it you may kindly suck an egg, is Deondiev. You may use Deon, Diev, or Deondiev. I have also been known to respond to a multitude of other names, none of which are fit for your ears."

Blinking, the boy asked, "Errr…. How do you spell that?" His curiosity peaked, despite the girl's apparent desire to become invisible or at the very least, be away from all these people. He on the other hand, was curious enough to want to know more.

Tilting his head slightly so that his sunglasses slipped down partway, Deon regarded the boy for a moment before responding. "D-e-o-n-d-i-e-v, my boy." Looking to the girl who was still attempting to disappear, he shook his head. "Oh do not worry about the arrested comment, my dear. Everything is perfectly fine. It only concerned a minor disagreement with the authorities regarding the proper use of a shrinking key hex." At their confused looks, he smiled reassuringly. "Do not worry, either of you… I wear that very same look often. Now, you both are…?"

Speaking softly, the girl answered. "Oh… ummm… N-Nara… Nara M-maraj." She appeared confused as to whether she should be polite and extend her hand or play it safe and remain as far from the man as possible.

The boy nodded once to Nara and then looked back to Deon. "Crede…nce."

Pushing his sunglasses back up, Deon asked, "Is there a stuttering problem going around here? Should I be wary? Is it terribly contagious?"

Nara giggled quietly and looked to Credence, who shrugged. "Credence Monday Moon, but I'd prefer just Crede."

Nodding affirmatively, Deon clapped his hand together. Right then, this is all of our first years, so we shall just be sure to watch out for one another... Deal?"

"Umm… what happened to the last cook?" Nara looked nervously out the window and then back to the odd little man.

Deon shrugged dismissively. "Oh, I baked him into a cake." He winked to Crede while Nara squeaked and shoved back against the seat in surprise. To this, the short man smiled. "Oh, do not fear, I assure you that it was quite delicious." Nara proceeded to slowly inch away from him and towards the window.

Looking to Crede, Deon raised an eyebrow. "I am afraid that she simply does not understand sarcasm whatsoever." When the boy nodded, the man looked back to Nara. "Dear, the previous chef left his post due to the events of last year. Dumbledore, that would be the headmaster, contacted me this summer and requested my presence as soon as possible."

Nara appeared confused, and asked, "...W-what happened last year?" She stopped moving away and managed to look at Deon without looking like a deer in headlights.

Appearing slightly surprised, Deon answered. "You did not hear? Last year was the first year of Harry Potter... the boy who lived? Any idea of what I am talking about? Any?"

To this, Nara nodded quickly. "Y-yes... of course...who hasn't heard of Harry Potter...?" Meanwhile, Crede simply looked confused and lost.

"I had figured as much. You looked like the type. You, Nara... you can tell him the full story later." Deon pointed first to Nara, and then to Crede. "In any case, events conspired last year, and ended with the removal of the old Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. You shall have a new one this year, some Lockheart fellow. He is apparently quite famous."

Seeming to lose all nervousness for a moment, Nara's eyes widened. "Gilderoy Lockhart?" At the man's nod, she gained a look of utter adoration, which quickly turned to blushing as she realized that both Crede and Deon were staring at her.

Giving her a knowing look, Deon glanced out the window. "Dear me, it is already quite late. Well, I am afraid that I must be off to speak to the conductor. You both get along well here. Oh, and before I forget, your gifts are underneath the benches." Tipping his wand to them as they blinked in surprise, he made his way out of the compartment before either could respond.

Nara and Crede both gave blank looks to one another, and then leaned over to peer beneath their seats. Reaching, Nara pulled out a leather-bound book while Crede had found a small black ball that fit into the palm of his hand. The book, when opened revealed empty pages while the wispy clouds seemed to swirl inside the ball.

As the girl flipped through the book, a note fell out and drifted to the floor. Stooping, she picked it up and read it aloud. "This, my dear... is a very lovely gift which was given to me years ago. I now pass it to you. It is no ordinary book, but a repository of knowledge. It contains the answers to almost every factual question in the Wizarding world, assuming that answer is written in some place. To use it, simply write your question. The answer will appear."

While Nara examined her book and thought about how to test it, and Crede regarded his ball questioningly, the train began to move. The boy finally shrugged and put the ball in his pocket before looking up. "So, you know a lot about this stuff? Wizardry, witchcraft, the whole lot?"

Before she could answer, both of them heard a voice from the doorway. "Oh yes, I'm sure she knows a lot. Her mother must have filled her head with all sorts of stories about magic... too bad none of it saved her father."

Both looked over to see an older boy, well-groomed, blond, wearing a smirk that fit him almost as well as his perfectly tailored robes.

With widened eyes, Nara shook her head. "E-excuse me?"

The boy took a step inside. "Y-y-you heard me." Sneering, he continued. "Daddy couldn't make it? Oh yes, he's rather... indisposed."

Nara bit her lip and raised her gaze to meet his. "S-shut u-up" Her voice had gained some strength, but was still quiet.

"What? I didn't hear you... I think the rats on the train must be moving around."

At that, Crede stood. "What is your problem?" He moved to put himself between the other boy and Nara. Seeing this, the boy just laughed quietly. "Never mind. It's none of your concern, Mudblood." Nara squeaked at this and her hand flew to her mouth, while the blond boy chuckled and looked directly at Crede for the first time. "Look, sit down and you're not going to get hurt. They don't like it when the ickle first years are picked on."

From her spot in the corner, Nara spoke up. "W-what d-d-do you w-want?"

Ignoring her, the older boy continued to speak to Crede. "Her though... her dad and mine have a history... Her dad tried to get mine arrested... back when he was in power. So, watch yourself. We wouldn't want you getting... hurt or anything... Hogwarts is very dangerous if you're not the right type of person." Finally, he nodded his head towards Nara. "You'd do well to stay away from her. She's not going to be... safe company this year." With a final smirk, he turned and walked out.

After watching the door for a moment, Crede turned around to look at Nara, who gazed intently at the floor. Sitting back across from her, he shrugged. "His mother combs his hair. So what was that about anyway?" When she shook her head in confusion, he let it go. "Would you mind explaining some of the texts to me?"

Wiping her eyes before looking up and smiling a bit, the girl nodded. "...Okay, like what?"

Crede thought about that for a moment. "Like… everything. I don't know any of this. I just got that letter from the owl the other day. My dad had a right fit about the whole thing too. It was a riot, it was. I'd never seen him get that worked up before. Mum said it was the best thing for me though, so here I am. She didn't know anything about it either, but she's a mite bit more accepting than my dad, as far as this sort goes. You shoulda seen Keaira though, that's my sister. She had a bigger fit than my dad did. She tried to convince my mum to let her come too, only she's just seven you see, not that that's stopped her from doing everything I do anyway, up to this that is."

Not appearing to know what to say to this at first, Nara finally settled on a simple nod and smile. "Well, I think... maybe... you should know about Harry Potter, first..." She went on to explain all about The Boy Who Lived and Voldemort, managing to spell out and whisper his name, though she squeaked in fright when Crede repeated it back louder.

Once this had all been explained, Crede thought, and then asked, "What's a mudblood anyway?"

Squeaking again, Nara bit her lip before answering. "It's a...really bad name for somebody with muggle, that means non-magical, parents… but, I mean… it's really bad. It's an insult, like…. it implies that you're lower somehow."

At that moment, a kind voice from the doorway asked, "Anything off the trolly, dears?" When the two looked up, they found the trolly-lady pushing her cart of sweets and snacks. Nara took a pumpkin pastie and a chocolate frog, and Crede followed her lead.

The two of them sat back down, and Nara opened her frog to find a card featuring Circe, which she showed to Crede before he opened his. Scrambling to catch his chocolate before it got away from him, the boy didn't notice his card at first. Finally, as he sat back and munched on the treat, Crede picked up the card to look at it. To his great surprise, the card was completely blank. It was white on both sides. Blinking and pointing this out to Nara, who told him that the people in the pictures sometimes leave, but had no response as to why the entire card had nothing on it at all. He eventually sighed and put the blank card in his pocket.

A moment later, just as Crede finished his pumpkin pastie, his pocket grew warm. Nara happened to glance down then, and pointed. "H-hey… your… your p-pocket is glowing. I think… I think it's the card."

Reaching into his pocket, Crede took out the card and peered at it. It was warm, but not too warm to hold. As he watched, letters began swirling into place at the base of it. First came a V, then an o, an l, and a few seconds after that a d appeared while more letters continued to swirl. Crede gasped quietly and said, "I… I think it's spelling Volde…"

Hearing that, Nara squeaked and dove across the space between them to stare at the card. By this time a picture had started to form, which seemed to show a lake, with a castle in the background. The card read Voldemor, and the last letter was swirling into place. Yelping, Nara snatched the card away from Crede and threw it on the floor facedown, where it smoked and then burst into flames for a brief moment before disappearing from view. Both students distinctly heard bells while this happened, and then there was silence.

Nara swallowed hard and looked at Crede. "Wh-what… what was that?" She was shaking slightly, and then stared at the spot where the card had been.

Raising his shoulders in a mute shrug, Crede was silent for a minute before responding. "D-Dad would say that was a bad omen."

The girl looked at him incredulously. "I w-would say t-that w-was a bad o-omen. S-should we t-tell anybody that t-the card was saying Y-you-know-who...a-and then it...d-disappeared?"

Crede nodded. "I think so, but who would believe it?"

Thinking quickly, Nara tentatively asked, "Wh-what about that Dino guy?"

"You mean Deon?" Crede considered, and then nodded again. "That sounds great, but didn't he say he was gonna go talk to the conductor?"

"S-should we go and look for him?" Nara looked to the door and was startled into another squeaking yelp to see someone standing there.

Deon seemed to take her surprised yell easily enough and simply asked, "Look for whom, then?"

Also jumping, Crede turned to the small man and blurted, "There was the an the 'like the and I got the and the card it started and in my pocket, and then.. it said... ... You-Know-Who's name... and burst into flames."

Seeming to understand perfectly, Deon spoke quietly. "Oh dear."

Nodding, Crede vowed, "I'm never eating another chocolate frog."

"Quite unnecessary to blame the chocolate for the actions of the card, my boy." Deon knelt and looked closer at the spot where the card had vanished, and then glanced up. "Though I do not believe you can be blamed for that feeling. In any case, we will be arriving at the castle before too long. It would behoove you to calm yourselves and ensure that you are ready. I shall inform the appropriate people of this development. Rest assured that it is most likely nothing too important, probably simply a prank." He ignored the doubtful looks both gave him as he stood and stepped away from the room. "Good day to both of you."

Before Nara and Crede could say another word, the train pulled into its station with a long whistle and both were able to look out their window and see Hogwarts castle in the distance, across the lake. They had arrived, and before their year had even truly begun something had happened to make them each wonder if it might have been safer to stay at home.


	2. Fainting at the Sorting

Chapter Two: Fainting at the Sorting

Once the train had stopped, the two were led along with the other first years towards a group of small boats by a giant of a man with thick black hair that seemed to cover nearly his entire head, leaving a small area for merry red cheeks and dark eyes to peer through. He spoke in such a booming voice while introducing himself as Gamekeeper Hagrid that Nara nearly scrambled back onto the train before Crede caught her arm.

The two of them stepped into a boat along with two other girls. One was a red-haired girl who held a book clutched tightly to her chest, while the other was a blonde who seemed utterly transfixed upon the carriages at the other end of the train yard, where the older students were heading. She seemed to be chewing on a few strands of her hair thoughtfully, and the most peculiar thing about the girl was that her wand had been placed behind her left ear. She wore a slightly dazed expression that appeared to convey both curiosity and quiet remoteness at once.

The boats were soon ready and made their way across the shimmering water towards the castle in the distance. Conversation in their little boat was all but nonexistent for the first bit, because the red-haired girl was intent on her book while the blonde was entirely focused on a bit of seaweed, which she had plucked from the water and wrapped around the end of her wand.

Seeing this, Crede peered at the wand, then up at the girl. "Errr… you like plants then?" He tried to sound politely curious, hoping to start an actual discussion.

Raising her eyes from the wand to meet his, the girl lost her dream-like expression as she stared uncomfortably at him. A long moment of silence followed, during which Crede felt more and more as though he had said something wrong. Just as he was about to make an awkward apology, the girl burst into hysterical laughter. She held her sides and laughed so hard that Nara squeaked and nearly fell out of the boat.

Crede stared at the girl in baffled surprise, finding himself inching away from her for his own safety. "Right… well… glad to see you're in such a great mood then. I…" He trailed off while attempting to find something he could possibly say in reply to such a reaction without sounding incredibly rude. Eventually he just settled on not saying anything.

Finally calming down, the blonde sat back up and looked at him for another moment before turning to the lake and appearing to forget that the incident had ever happened. Crede was left decidedly confused.

As she peered into the water, the girl let out a gasp of delight and pointed at a giant tentacle that rose from the lake and waved lazily at the approaching boats. She bounced up and down a few times and looked back to the others. "Ooooh, a Salz-barted Aquafinesh."

Blinking, Nara looked past the girl. "A… a what?" She spotted the tentacle and squeaked, scrambling to the back of the boat.

Not seeming to notice this, the girl excitedly explained. "A Salz-barted Aquafinesh. My father spent two months looking for one last year. I bet they brought it here to hide it."

Biting her lip, Nara shrank back as the boat passed the waving tentacle. "Are they d-dangerous?"

The girl shook her head. "No, not unless you have sugar cookies. Then they make the sound of a glump fisted nazlerag until you give it up." She then turned back to watch the tentacle disappear into the distance.

Finally looking up from her book, the red-haired girl leaned close to Crede and Nara, whispering, "It's just the giant squid. He doesn't bother anyone."

"Oh...right." Crede extended a hand. "Credence Moon."

She beamed and shook his hand a little too eagerly. . "Ginny... Ginny Weasley. How are you? Do you like it here so far? I mean the castle is beautiful..."

To that, Crede nodded slowly. "Yeah, it's great... not anything that I would have expected though. It's… a lot more than I was thinking it'd be."

Ginny appeared confused for a moment before comprehension dawned. "Why not? Oh! You must be from... the muggle world?" She sounded terribly excited.

With a shrug, Crede nodded again. "I guess it shows." He looked up to see that they were nearly to the edge of the lake and now most of the first years were exclaiming and chattering amongst themselves about the sheer majesty of the castle.

Tilting back her head to stare at the school, Nara found herself shivering and abruptly hiccupped. The blonde girl immediately turned to her. "Are you okay? Do you need some Marshberry Gingersap?" She held out a small bottle. "It's for nerves. My father got some as a gift for his article on illegal erumpent racing."

Accepting the bottle with a doubtful look, while hiccupping again, Nara took a tiny sip and quickly handed it back before swallowing. The liquid burned horribly on the way down, much like hard liquor, and she found her eyes watering terribly. On the plus side, she wouldn't need to worry about sinuses for a time, and her hiccups were gone.

Soon afterwards, the boats landed and the students were gathered up and led to the front door of the castle, where they were left to talk amongst themselves. Crede had just turned to Nara and asked if she was all right when the door flew open and a tall, severe looking woman walked through the opening. After surveying them quietly, she spoke. "Good evening, students. My name is Professor McGonagall. If you will all follow me, we will proceed to the Great Hall."

They entered and began moving through the impressive hallway. Crede noticed a painting of a knight on horseback, and as he peered at it, the knight drew his sword and challenged him as a cur. All around them, the paintings were moving and greeting the incoming students.

As they walked along, Nara found herself suddenly facing a small man floating in the air in front of her. He wore loud, obnoxious clothing and a gaudy bowtie. He had popped from nothingness directly in front of the small girl, and made a face at her, prompting Nara to yelp and jump away.

Professor McGonagall shouted at him as she strode quickly to them. "Peeves!" The little man stuck out his tongue at the approaching woman and cackled, disappearing again.

The group finally arrived in the Great Hall, and Nara hid behind Crede as all of the students within stared at them. The sheer majesty of the incredible room caused them all to gawk slightly and Nara's eyes grew wide and she jumped when Ginny tugged on her sleeve.

Pointing up to the ceiling, which resembled the night sky complete with shooting stars, Ginny said, "My brother said they enchant the ceiling to make it that way."

Nara swallowed and gave a quick nod. "N-nifty." Her voice shook a bit as she gazed at the ceiling before returning her attention to the important business of attempting to appear completely invisible.

Meanwhile, Crede spotted a small shorthaired white cat peering at him from underneath one of the tables as they passed. It appeared to be watching him intently, as if judging his worth. Its eyes continued to follow him as they stopped at the front of the room and Professor McGonagall introduced the Sorting Hat. His attention was torn away from the cat when the hat quite abruptly burst into song, detailing the differences between all four school houses.

Soon thereafter the actual sorting began. Nara watched with increasing nervousness as Creevey, Colin was sorted into Gryffindor, with others going to various houses including Darcy, Julianne; DeGeorge, Alan; Goodall, Sasha; and Lawson, Peter to Ravenclaw. When Lovegood, Luna was called, the blonde girl from before stepped up and appeared to engage in a spirited conversation with the hat, having to be very nearly physically dragged from the stage after being sorted.

Finally, it was Nara's turn. She froze when her name was called until Crede gave her a little push, causing her to stumble forward up the steps. Making her way slowly to the stool, she stared out at everyone and tried to calm her breathing. The blond boy who had all but threatened her on the train waved from the Slytherin table with a smirk.

While Nara hyperventilated, Crede was startled out of his own deep-breathing exercises as that small cat made a beeline from its place under the table straight to him and ran up his leg on the inside of his robes. He squirmed and muffled a yelp while peering down into his robes. Upon seeing the tiny creature clinging to the front of his shirt, meowing softly and gazing at him with expressive green eyes, he smiled and reached up to hold it there.

On the stage, Nara sat upon the stool, shaking almost beyond what was humanly possible at all of the attention. While she considered bolting for the door, Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head. Immediately, it began to speak to her.

"Oh yes... yes... you have a very inquisitive mind, I see... You're a bit on the jumpy side, but we can work with that. Bravery isn't everything, but don't let Godric hear you say it. Yes, I believe that you would work best in… Ravenclaw!" At the words, the members of the house in question burst into applause and cheers, while the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors clapped politely and the majority of the Slytherins simply hissed or remained quiet.

Taking all of this in, Nara did the only thing left to her incredibly shaken nerves. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted, falling backwards off of the stool to land on the floor with a dull thud, which prompted a few snickers from the Slytherin table as well as at least one area of outright laughter which was quickly silenced by a severe look from Professor McGonagall.

Kneeling next to Nara, McGonagall waved a wand over her face and spoke quietly. Immediately the young girl blinked and sat up, looking confused until she realized where she was and what had happened. By now there were little spurts of giggles and laughter coming from several places around the hall, and she felt her face grow warm as she blushed.

Once she had assured the professor that she was indeed all right, Nara stood and made her way down to the Ravenclaw table, attempting to ignore the snickers from the Slytherins while the other three houses applauded upon finding that she wasn't hurt.

Finding herself in a seat next to Luna, Nara looked over as the other girl spoke to her. "It's okay. Only one fourth of the school laughed at you." This prompted a whimper from Nara before she directed her attention to the stage, where Crede had just been called. However, before McGonagall could place the hat, the doors at the rear of the room opened and a pale man with a long hooked nose and greasy black hair strode in. He made his way quickly over to the old wizard who sat in the grand chair in the middle of the stage and held a whispered conference while Professor McGonagall walked to them after putting the hat on Crede's head.

As the hat landed on his head, Crede heard the thing speaking to him. "Oh, quite right... quite right… very strong mind I see. Not one for hard work? Well then, let us put you in a house where your brain can be put to good use. How about... Ravenclaw!"

There was a long wait instead of applause, as everyone seemed to wait for him to faint as well. In response, Crede looked around and took the hat off himself since the instructors were still busy and walked calmly down to his table, taking a seat next to Nara. He checked to make sure the small cat was still secure in his robes before turning his attention to the stage.

In the meantime, Professor McGonagall had left the Great Hall, leaving the greasy man, whom Nara and Crede learned from their new housemates was Professor Snape, to continue the sorting. He proceeded to rush each student onto the stage, very nearly flinging them onto the stool, and shoving the hat on their head, tapping his foot impatiently and glaring as though it were their fault that he was held up from some very important business.

Eventually he came to Rheese, Megan. A small, pretty girl with straight blonde hair and a bright smile skipped up to the stage and did a little twirl before plopping onto the stool and looking around the large room as the hat was placed on her head. A few moments later the hat announced that she was also to be placed in Ravenclaw. Megan started to stand but paused. Her eyes searched the hall before finding Nara's. Locking gazes with the other girl, she closed her eyes and fell backwards off the stool in an apparent faint. Nara however, knew that the other girl had done so purposefully to draw the attention of the Slytherins, who were already laughing and had apparently forgotten about Nara.

Instead of gently easing the girl up as McGonagall had done, Professor Snape very nearly jerked her to her feet and gave her a push down the stairs. She bounced happily to the Ravenclaw table, seemingly completely oblivious to the snickers from the Slytherins.

Sitting across from Nara, she met the other girl's shy smile with a bright one and spoke to her. "Don't worry about it. We're in a house together, right? That means they can laugh at all of us if they laugh at one of us."

Nara smiled a bit more and nodded. "Thank you."

Both girls were quickly distracted by the old wizard standing up and introducing himself as Professor Dumbledore. He greeted all of the students old and new, and while smiling at them all. With a knowing look, he finished after a moment with, "It has been said that less is more. In this case, I believe they are correct. Under that assumption, let us merely say... Tuck in." Immediately the tables were covered with the most delicious foods any of them had seen. After the students dug in, Dumbledore left the Great Hall along with Professor Snape.

Nara was both surprised and impressed by the sheer amount that Megan managed to put away. When the other girl reached her fifth plate, she finally asked, "Umm… M-Megan? Are you all right? Did you not eat for a long time?"

Giggling at this, Megan blushed and gave a small shrug. "Nah, I'm okay. I just eat a lot. Sometimes it's like I'm eating for more than one person."

While the girls talked, Crede fed his new kitten, which accepted the food gratefully.

Eventually the feast ended and Professor Dumbledore rose once more to speak. He explained the school rules, pointing out that entrance into the Forbidden Forest was, as the name implied, forbidden. He introduced Gilderoy Lockhart as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, which prompted tumultuous applause from nearly all the girls present.

As they were excused from the Great Hall and led toward the Ravenclaw common room by their prefect, Penelope Clearwater, Nara continued to talk quietly with Megan while Crede admired his cat. They all climbed the stairs of Ravenclaw tower until arriving at a statue of a gargoyle.

Penelope looked to the first years. "To enter the common room and dorms, you must speak the password to the entrance." Turning back to the gargoyle she spoke clearly. "Illuminate." With a groan, the statue slid to the side to reveal the entrance hole.

Leading them inside, Penelope pointed first to the left and then to the right. "Girls there, boys there. You're in the third set of dorms, and you'll find your belongings already next to your beds."

Exhausted by the long day, all of the students quickly found their rooms and before long nothing could be heard from the Ravenclaw common room except for the furtive whispers of two young girls as Megan and Nara continued to talk long into the night.


	3. Pleasantly Draco

Chapter Three: Pleasantly Draco

After the sun rose the next morning, Crede was awoken by his cat. She had run off to do whatever cats do the night before, but now she was back and had pounced on his stomach. As she let out a hungry yowl, he opened one eye. The white feline blinked at him and meowed once more. Crede picked her up with one hand while swinging his legs out of bed and stood to get dressed.

Duncan, a dark skinned boy with pale blue eyes looked over from where he had been putting items into his trunk. "Crede, what does that cat want anyway?"

Once he had finished pulling his shirt on, Crede glanced at the cat and shrugged. "Food, I guess." He was rewarded by an affirmative yowl from the animal in question.

Nodding at that, Duncan rubbed his stomach. "Me too. See you later." He turned and hurried out the door, taking the stairs down three at a time even as Crede picked up the cat and started down. He arrived in the common room in time to see Megan and Nara already nearly out the door.

Slightly ahead of Nara, Megan turned back to smile at her. "Come on. You don't want all the good stuff to be eaten already. Then we'd be stuck with gruel, which would be cruel." Both girls grimaced and giggled.

Megan waved upon noticing Crede. "Good morning, is that your kitty? What's her name?" She pointed to the feline currently attempting to burrow into the boy's robes.

Looking down, Crede gave a nod and replied. "Yeah... she kinda found me rather though. And I haven't exactly named her yet."

"You should name her something pretty." With an affirmative nod, Megan tugged on Nara's arm. "Come on." She looked to Crede again. "You too, we need to hurry. I smell bacon." The other two followed as she skipped happily down the stairs towards the Great Hall.

Just as they entered, a horribly loud voice filled the air around them. "--STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE--" Though they covered their ears and looked around in confusion, it wasn't enough to drown out the screaming. "... IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."

Swallowing unsteadily, Nara looked at Megan with wide eyes. "Wh-what was that?" She continued to glance around as though expecting an attack from any side at any minute.

Pointing to an empty part of the Ravenclaw table large enough for them, Megan walked that way while explaining. "That… was a howler. It's a letter that people send when they're really mad. You… heard the results. That's right, you wouldn't know what one was. You said your dad was a wizard, right?" She took a seat and began piling a plate high with food.

As they ate, a flurry of activity attracted their attention upwards. A great cloud of owls had entered the room and set about delivering envelopes to all of the students present. One of them, a small tawny with lighter speckles across her wings landed on top of Nara's head, eliciting a squeak of surprise from the girl.

Giggling, Megan reached over and helped the owl off of her head. "You're cute when you squeak." Pulling the schedule from the leg of the bird, she opened it and took a look. After comparing it with her own schedule she blinked a couple of times. "Wait a minute. We all have the same schedule. Why couldn't they just announce it or something?"

"W-We have the S-same schedule!...er...I mean.." Nara blushed and tried to lower her face to hide the bright smile that had come over her features. In a slightly more calm voice, she added. "How...c-cool."

Nodding with a smile of her own, Megan picked up her cookie. "You want half?" She waved the treat under Nara's nose, and giggled as the other girl promptly bit half of the cookie away.

Meanwhile, Crede continued offering bits of his breakfast to his cat. She picked at a few bites and then squirmed free of his grasp. Dropping to the floor, the little feline darted off. With a shrug, Crede turned back to his plate and finished eating while looking at his own schedule. "They must send out individual schedules because they like to use the extra parchment."

After a few more minutes of eating, the clock sounded the hour and all three realized they needed to hurry in order to get to class on time. As Nara jumped up in surprise, tripping on the bench and falling backwards, Megan attempted to grab her. Unfortunately, Nara ended up pulling the other girl down with her and both landed on the floor.

Looking at his schedule intently as he walked away from the table, Crede failed to notice that the two girls weren't with him. "What class do we have now anyway?"

So focused was he that he didn't see the blond boy from earlier until the older boy spoke up. "Have you tried actually reading the schedule? That tends to help, that is… if your muggle parents actually taught you to read. But if they didn't, I'd be glad to point you in the right direction"

The look on the boy's face convinced Crede that trusting him wasn't in his best interest, so he just put his schedule away with a sigh. "Don't do things you're not acclimated to, like... being pleasant in your case."

Over by the table, Nara and Megan had clambered to their feet. Looking over to where Crede and the older boy were, Megan whispered, "Who's that guy?"

While she brushed herself off, Nara glanced up and frowned, whispering back. "I-I dunno...he was bothering us on the train yesterday"

She was trying to decide if there was a way of getting around the boy without attracting his attention when a sudden loud voice from behind startled them all. "I believe you all have places to be?"

Jumping and spinning around while letting out a squeak of surprise, Nara found herself looking at the greasy haired man from the night before. Then she remembered his name, Professor Snape. She tried to shrink back behind Megan as he glowered at her.

Turning, Megan began to speak rather indignantly "Hey, what's the big i-" She saw Snape and paled. "…I... I... think I'm late for class."

Ignoring her, Snape looked to the boy. "Draco, I believe you have Charms this hour. Go along. You wouldn't want to be late." He watched as the boy walked away with a nod and then turned his attention back to the three first years. "As for you three... yes, I believe... you have my class now. You have now made me late for the first day. Therefore... ten points from Ravenclaw... each."

Stammering a bit, Megan protested. "That's not fair. That guy was here--" A glare from Snape shut her up as Nara grabbed her hand and gave her a pleading look to be quiet.

After a long look at Crede, Snape spoke again. "Down those stairs, to the dungeon. All of you." When Megan gaped, he sighed. "Oh stop it. I'm taking you to potions class. Don't test my patience further, unless you'd like me to make it twenty points each." As they walked, Megan made a face and he glared at her. "Do you have something to say, Miss Rheese?"

Shaking her head, the blonde girl answered quickly. "No… no sir." Once Snape had turned away, she looked to Nara with wide eyes and mouthed, "He knows my name."

Eventually the group reached the potions classroom. Snape left them at the door and strode to the front of the room while the trio stood and looked around for three empty seats together. When he reached his desk, he whirled around and slammed a book down on the desk so loudly that the resulting crack echoed about the room. "If... the Ravenclaw students in the back could SIT DOWN. We might begin."

Blushing mightily, all three slid into the nearest seats as the entire room turned to stare at them. Satisfied, Snape went on. "Potions is a very... exacting part of magic... requiring much thought, effort, and precision."

Leaning over to Nara very slightly, Megan whispered. "So that blonde guy must be horrible at it."

As Nara stifled a giggle, Snape continued. "I fear that most of you will utterly fail at this. There are very few who are up to the... rigors this study demands." He cast a glance around the room, his gaze making it clear exactly what he thought of most of the students present.

"Is he talking about potions or dealing with his attitude?" Megan's whisper brought another giggle from Nara and then a cough and grimace as Snape glared at them both.

Slouching in his seat, Crede glanced casually over at the girl next to him. She was a Slytherin girl, with long, mostly straight brown hair and emerald eyes that seemed to reflect deep intelligence. Unlike most of the other Slytherins, she smiled softly at him before quickly looking away while Snape went on. "If I see anyone flashing around a wand, that person will immediately fail that day of class. Now... if you will all take out the potions book you should have brought with you..."

As the class proceeded, Crede experienced something curious. Twice in the time they had, the girl next to him from Slytherin very quietly corrected him as he was about to add a wrong ingredient to his sample potion. When he tried to thank her, or acknowledge her in any way, she simply ignored him. When the class ended, she vanished into the crowd before he could even attempt to find out her name.

On their way to lunch, Megan poked Crede in the shoulder. "Hey, did you ever name that cat of yours?"

Considering that for a long moment, he finally nodded slowly as they passed by a painting where a rickety old knight was apparently attempting to teach a pair of Hufflepuff boys how to joust correctly. "Yeah, I think I'll name her… Nautica."

Megan smiled at the name, and the three of them continued on to lunch before proceeding to their first flying lesson.


	4. Flight and Fright

At lunch in the Great Hall, Crede tried to spot the brown haired Slytherin girl from earlier. Eventually giving up, he took a seat next to Nara and Megan. Scratching his softly purring kitten softly on the belly, he continued to look around hoping for a glimpse of the girl who had helped him. Glancing down finally at the cat, he asked, "What about you, Nautica? You know where she is?" In response, the cat simply meowed enigmatically.

Once they had finished eating, Crede stood up. Immediately the small cat hopped down from the table and ran off, disappearing from view. He sighed after it. "All the females I see just keep running away from me." He turned around to see Megan and Nara staring at him and coughed uncomfortably in the silence before finally muttering, "Besides you two."

The group found their way along with the other first years out to the patch of lawn where the flight instuctor, who introduced herself as Madam Hooch, stood waiting next to a line of brooms. Splitting up as they arrived, each moved for a broom when asked to do so. Crede had almost reached the broom he had picked out when another boy half-shoved him out of the way. Looking up at the rude boy, who appeared to be from Slytherin, Crede muttered, "Heffer."

Just as the larger boy turned with an angry expression on his face, Madam Hooch found her way between them. "Drayson, is there a problem here?" Her tone was wary, and it seemed this wasn't the first time she'd had to step between the boy and someone he had antagonized.

Still glaring at Crede for another moment, Drayson finally shrugged and shook his head. "No... no there's not." He then turned and continued on to the spot while Madam Hooch gestured for Crede to find another broom.

Once everyone was situated, the flying instructor nodded, satisfied. "Everyone be certain to stand next to your brooms. Do not touch them yet." Another moment of waiting while people shuffled around, and then she continued. "Now, if you are all ready... Hold out your hands and call your brooms. In a firm voice, with your hand over the broom, say, 'Up!'"

Crede 's broom seemed intent on burrowing itself further into the ground as he continued to repeat the one word mantra of 'Up!' to it. Meanwhile, Nara's jumped straight into her hand and Megan's hovered for a moment as though it was considering it before flopping back down. So pleased was she by her success, that Nara actually bounced up and down and let out a squeak of pleasure before covering her mouth and looking around to ensure that no one had heard her... which of course they had.

Madam Hooch paced up and down the line, giving encouragement and advice to everyone until finally all had managed to pull their brooms up to their hands. The class continued with everyone progressing fairly well, except for Crede, who could not for the life of him get his broom to do anything he wanted it to. Nara, meanwhile, refused to allow her broom to fly higher than ten feet off the ground, so terrified was she of heights.

Midway through the class, as Nara attempted to coax her broom an additional few feet up without looking down, her broom abruptly stopped in midair. As she hung there motionless, Madam Hooch blew her whistle. "I didn't say stop!"

Peering down at the woman, Nara shook her head frantically. "Neither did I! D-did I m-mention I-I hate h-heights?" At her words, the broom rocketed forward. Nara barely managed to grab onto the handle tightly as the thing swept with surprising speed across the grounds. As it did so, she screamed. "EEEEEEEEEE!"

Back at the class, as everyone stared after the departing girl in shock, Madam Hooch took a broom for herself and ordered everyone to land and remain where they were before chasing after Nara. With a look of confusion, Megan turned to Crede. "I didn't know Nara could do that."

Crede blinked and shook his head. "M-Me either, and I don't think even Nara knew she could do that."

By then, Nara had reached the Forbidden Forest. "EEEEEEEEEE!" The broom suddenly dipped down into the trees as she continued to scream and hang on for dear life. She came close to fainting, but managed to avoid doing so mostly from the fear of what would happen if she did faint and fall off. The broom continued to zoom through the forest at breakneck speeds, passing tree after tree, with the small girl barely able to maintain her death grip. A tree passed, and then another, and another. "TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

As abruptly as it had begun, the broom halted and Nara flew forward off of it, landing in a large pile of soggy moss. As she rolled out of it, covered in the gooey mess, the girl made a face. "Ewwww." She whined for a moment before realizing that she was in the heart of the dark forest with no way of knowing how to get out of it, or even which way to go. Her eyes widened and she attempted to shout, only managing a whispered, "H-help..."

She began to stumble blindly through the dark forest, twitching at every noise. She clutched her wand tightly, having no idea what she would do if something did jump out other than poke it in the eye. As the young girl found her way into an empty clearing, she looked around fearfully at each bush. Inching forward, her eyes darted to one in particular as a rustling noise emerged from it. A soft whimper escaped Nara as she tried to back away, but her legs refused to cooperate. She whined apprehensively as the thing within the bush began to emerge, its eyes glistening in the dark. Finally, her eyes widened and she let out a choked gasp as the thing revealed itself.

Back at the clearing, upon seeing Madam Hooch circling over the forest on her broom, apparantly unable to locate Nara, Megan turned to Crede. "We have to help her..." She swallowed hard, then began to trot off.

Blinking after her for a moment, Crede finally muttered and followed. "Great idea."

Eventually, the two of them reached the edge of the forest. Megan bit her lip and nodded into the dark woods. "She went down in here..."

Nodding, Crede spoke in a voice that tried to sound calm, but betrayed himself with a slight quiver. "Great... I wasn't paying much attention at the banquet, but isn't this place off limits?"

"Yup." Without another word, Megan began walking into the forest. "You can stay here if you want."

With a sigh, Crede began to follow, rattling off numbers in a low voice. "20...30...40... well into the negatives." When Megan looked at him curiously, he shrugged. "House points."

The two of them continued pushing their way through the forest, having no real idea where they were going. Looking around apprehensively, Megan asked, "Do you hear anything?"

Crede shook his head. "Am I supposed to?" Halting, he looked around and listened to the sounds emerging from the dark woods all around them. Finally he just shook his head. "We're in trouble in the forest, and we're in trouble out of the forest. Let's just keep going."

A few minutes later, Megan stopped again. "Where is she?"

Crede shook his head. "I don't even know where we are. How do you expect me to know where she is? What do you want me to do, just say 'Where's Nara' and get an answer?" Before Megan could answer him, a sudden light made them both jump and yelp. Realizing the light was coming from his pocket, Crede tentatively looked inside. The orb that Deondiev had given him was glowing. Blinking, he pulled it out and held it up. As he moved the orb around, the light faded and strengthened depending on where he was holding it. Eventually he held the orb in a direction deeper into the forest, where the light seemed to have become brightest. Glancing at Megan, he asked, "Worth a shot?" At her nod, they began to follow the light, both hoping that that phrase didn't become too literal.

Stumbling backwards away from the thing that showed itself, Nara's yelp sounded incredibly loud to her as the creature turned to look at her doubtfully and tossed its head. Squeaking fearfully before she recognized the creature's single horn, Nara finally spoke softly. "P-pretty...n-nice horsie... unicorn." She kept her eyes on the wicked looking horn while taking a few steps closer. "I-it's okay... I-I'm l-lost." When the thing lowered its head to her, she stepped even closer. "P-please...I-I'm scared a-and...I j-just w-wanna go b-back" The unicorn inclined its head in a way that Nara swore was a nod. She tentatively put up a hand to pet it, and as she did, a feeling of calm began to come over her.

The calm feeling persisted until both of them were greeted by a shrill screaming sound. The unicorn snorted and looked up as it took a step away from Nara, who let out another squeak of fear while looking in the same direction. The screaming continued as both Megan and Crede, who had stumbled along the hill above, came tumbling into view. Crede finally rolled to a stop while Megan crashed into Nara, sending both girls crashing to the ground.

Looking down at Nara, who had ended up underneath her, Megan smiled, relieved. "Oh... there you are." She giggled softly as Nara waved, then hugged her. Finally climbing to her feet, Megan began to look around. "Are you o-- That's a unicorn."

Nara looked at it and smiled. "I-it's okay...t-they're f-friends."

Standing and brushing himself off while putting the now dark orb back in his pocket, Crede turned around. Spotting the unicorn, he jumped back. "U-Unicorn?...What?" In response, the creature took several steps away from him.

Stepping closer to the unicorn along with Nara, Megan glanced at Crede. "I don't think it likes you."

Crede shrugged."I must not have high marks in the mystical creatures department." He then crossed his arms in a pouty gesture and walked back to the foot of the hill. Meanwhile, the girl's petted the unicorn for a few minutes until it tossed its mane once more and then trotted off. While they were trying to decide whether to follow, they heard Madam Hooch calling for Nara.

Looking up at the sound of the voice, Nara called back. "I-I'm o-over here!"

Within moments, Madam Hooch and the large man named Hagrid had rushed into the clearing. Looking relieved, Hooch started to Nara. "Oh dear, there you are. I..." She spotted the other two then. "What in the name of Godric are you two doing here?"

While Crede scuffed the dirt with his toe and didn't respond, Megan answered quietly. "We... we were looking for... for... her..."

Hooch pressed her lips together in a grim smile and nodded. "Commendable effort, but the forest is forbidden... still though... What do you think, Hagrid?" She looked at the giant of a man.

Continuing to look around the forest while clutching his crossbow, Hagrid responded quickly. "Awww... 'weren't no damage done. They outta be let go. 'Twarent fer these two, summat bad might've happened."

Nodding agreeably, Hooch addressed the three of them. "Right... Okay, dears. We'll take you out and since you had the best of intentions, you get no punishment. If you set foot in here again, you'll get detention, you can bet your boots. Now, may I see your broom, Ms. Maraj? Where is it?"

Shaking her head, Nara looked around helplessly. "I-I don't k-know."

Frowning, Madam Hooch took a moment to glance around the clearing. Not seeing the broom anywhere she finally turned to Hagrid. "Let's just get them back to the castle." At the large man's nod, both began to lead Nara, Megan, and Crede safely back to school.


End file.
